Sometimes the stakes were higher. If someone had a corner or end cell they'd sometimes put that up, just to keep the excitement going. On other occasions, Carter had made a special deal and set up games where the winner's family would get a lump sum of credits. Those often turned nasty.
Today Ringer and Nova played a simple, friendly game with rocks.
She put out two rocks. It was best to keep it conservative. Otherwise Ringer would fold like a collapsible tent. He looked down at the two rocks and bit his lip as if they were playing with precious diamonds. In the end he laid out two rocks of his own.
Nova upped the stakes. Ringer matched.
They repeated the moves until ten rocks lay piled in front of each of them.
"Okay. Let's do this," said Ringer, laying out his cards.
Nova glanced at them. She wasn't surprised to see they were useless. She put down her own hand.
"What!" Ringer said, face dropping. He let his forehead fall onto his forearm and groaned. "Every time. You get me every time."
Nova smiled and pulled his pile of rocks towards her. "Don't feel bad. I grew up on Tabryn remember?"
"I think it's time we played something I'd win at," Ringer said. "Like a ring fight or something."
Nova winced and smiled at the same time. "I don't know if you'd like that."
"What do you mean?" he said.
"I'm a mech-fighter," she said.
Ringer's mouth dropped. "Are you serious!"
"Since I was fifteen," she said. "I don't do it as much anymore, just when I need some extra cash."
"Unbelievable. You know I think in another life, you may have been the woman of my dreams. If only we'd met before I found Zine!"
Nova laughed and several prisoners stopped to look at her. It wasn't often that real laughter tinkled through the prison.
"If only," she said.
"So no ring fights," Ringer said. "I'm going to keep thinking. Eventually I'll come up with something and then I'll kick your arse."
"I believe you," Nova said, holding up her hands. "Now in the meantime, would you like another hand?"
Ringer waved at the table. "May as well."
Nova dealt out two new hands. The game went on. Ringer won a few hands but overall Nova stayed far out in front. After two hours her pile of rocks rose nearly to her shoulder and little pebbles kept tumbling down onto the table. Meanwhile, Ringer had to keep bending down under the table to find new ones.
"I think this would be much better if we were playing for actual credits," Nova said as Ringer's head disappeared under the table for the third time in as many hands.
"Are you kidding?" he said as he came back up. "At this rate you'd send me broker than Zine did!"
Nova laughed. "Hey, you can call it quits at any time."
"I think I might have to," said Ringer. "Dinner time!"
Nova's stomach rumbled in response. She had to agree it was well past dinner time. She handed Ringer the cards and together they went to the food generator. Carter joined them at their table not long after, causing a wave of conversation and startled looks from the surrounding prisoners. His body guards formed a circle around them, just out of earshot.
"How's our great escape going?" he asked.
"It's going," said Nova. "Ringer here has been a major help."
Carter nodded. "I told you he would be."
The three of them ate in silence for a time, sucking down grey gruel.
"Saw Kirt kicked the bucket," Carter said. "Traitorous bastard."
Ringer nodded.
Nova grimaced and let her spoon fall back into the gruel. Memories of Kirt's dried face loomed in her mind, twisting her stomach.
"Pity though," continued Carter. "He could have been good. Not much brains, but lots of muscle. That can be a good combination provided they follow orders."
"I don't think anyone will try something so stupid for a while yet," said Ringer.
"I should hope not. At least I've only got to last another two months. Isn't that right, Hunter?"
Nova looked up from her food and nodded. "Yep. Best pack your delicates beforehand."
Carter roared with laughter and slapped the table. "I'll be sure to do that."
Nova nodded.
The three chatted the evening away until night-time settled on the prison. Nova took her leave and headed for her cell. She did have a lot of work to do before they would be ready to leave.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Two months until guard change.
Nova wiped a sweaty hand across her forehead and heaved on the bolt. Rust held it in place and the metal squeaked and squealed under her hands, refusing to come loose.
"You bastard!" she whispered, shifting her weight.
She put her whole back, shoulders and legs into it, pushing down. Her face turned red and sweat dribbled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin.
With an almighty squeal the bolt came free and dropped to the floor.
The sudden release sent Nova stumbling and she tripped on a metal panel, sprawling to the floor. Her elbows and knees slammed into the hard cement, tearing open in jagged grazes and oozing fresh blood.
"Damn thing."
She stomped back to the labourbot and ripped the outer panel free, dropping it to the ground beside her.
Wires and metal arms with tools attached filled the inside of the labourbot. Nova licked her lips, so many tools made a gold mine. She'd known what to expect; she'd studied the prison model extensively before arriving, but it was very different to see it for real.
A folded metal arm towards the back held a screwdriver. She yanked the arm out and rested it against the floor. She grabbed a large rock that she'd been using as a hammer, and slammed it down onto the robot's wrist. The metal bent. She drew back and slammed again, this time the metal buckled and peeled back. A third slam broke the screwdriver free and it rolled across the ground.
She snatched it up, avoiding the broken pieces of metal thrusting from its end, and went to work disassembling the other arms. An hour later her cell had been transformed into a robot cemetery. The smell of rust and oil wafted out of the robot and filled her room, too strong to fade away through her small window.
Tiny specs of rust stuck to her skin and refused to be wiped off no matter how many times she ran her hand over her pants. She hated rust. It looked and smelled like blood.
The next step would be the hardest. The robots had been turned off, their chips removed, making them lifeless pieces of machinery. Nova's job was to make them remote controlled, no easy task. All she had to work with were the bits and pieces left lying around the prison and what she could salvage from the robots themselves.
She'd gone through it all theoretically. She and Cal had worked it out from start to finish. She'd repeated the process so many times in her mind that she knew it off by heart. It was quite another thing to actually put all the pieces together.
She knew she'd never get it done that night so instead she focused on the far more mundane task of pulling the second robot apart. It was much easier now that she had all the tools.
By the time she was ready to crawl into bed there were two disassembled robots sitting in her room. Their metal limbs and casings glinted in the dim light filtering through her barred window. Nova washed her hands as best she could under the leaking faucet and crawled into bed.
Exhaustion settled over her like a blanket. Her back, shoulders and neck ached from bending over the robots and forcing the pieces apart, while her head throbbed.
Still, she consoled herself with the fact that she was one step closer to getting out of the prison. Two months to go and she'd be free. She'd be able to eat real food again! It had been so long that she'd almost forgotten what anything tasted like. When she thought of food, all she could taste was disgusting sticky gruel.
She closed her eyes and went to sleep imagining warm chicken and chips covered in salt.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Two months until guard change.
Ringer looked at her over the top of his cards.
"Why are you getting things to them?"
"It's part of the plan," Nova said.
"Jimmy," Ringer said. "He handles import-export."
"Excellent," she said. "Which one is he?"
Ringer looked around the yard. "That one," he said, jutting his chin to a thin man in clean clothes.
"He can get things in?" she asked.
"Yeah. Only little things though and he always asks for something in return, which in a place like this..."
"Got it," she said.
Nova laid down her cards and marched over to Jimmy. She kept her face stern, expressionless, and lifted her shoulders so she looked bigger than she actually was.
Jimmy bent in deep discussion with some other prisoners. They all stopped and looked at her as she approached.
"Hunter," Jimmy said. "How nice of you to join us."
Nova nodded. "I need your services."
"Right here in front of all these people?" Jimmy said, wiggling his eyebrows. "It's a bit public isn't it?"
Nova growled and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
Jimmy nodded to his companions who sneered at Nova and walked away.
He watched them go and then his face turned serious. "What do you want brought in?"
"Nothing. I want something taken to a guard."
"You know poisoning them won't make your life in here any easier, or mine. If they think I had a part in it, my whole operation goes down. No thank you."
"It's not poison," she said. "It's a gift."
"You're giving gifts to the guards?" Jimmy said, lifting a bushy eyebrow. "Don't let anyone else hear you say that or you'll be knifed."
"Can you do it or not?"
"I can do it," Jimmy said. "But it depends what it is and it'll cost you."
"A ring," Nova said. "It's small, shouldn't be hard."
Jimmy snorted. "That doesn't mean I won't charge for it."
"What's your price?"
He placed a finger on his chin and gazed up at the clouds. "This is tough. I've never had to price something going out before."
"Just name it."
Jimmy's hand dropped and he met Nova's eyes. "I want Carter's ring."
"What?" Nova said.
"His ring. The big one he's always wearing. His ring, for your ring."
Nova stared at him, lips pursed. It was a fair enough deal, but would Carter trust her enough to give it up?
"Bring me the ring and you've got yourself a deal," Jimmy said.
Nova nodded once and strode back to Ringer. "I need to speak to Carter."
Ringer raised an eyebrow. "About you-know-what?"
Nova nodded.
"I'll sort it." Ringer stood and strode to Carter's building. He walked past the guards with a bare nod and disappeared inside. Minutes later he returned, Carter and a squad of bodyguards at his side.
"I heard you were talking with our local merchant," Carter said.
"We need to talk," Nova said, glancing at his bodyguards.
Carter looked up and waved his hand. The prisoners walked away to form a circle out of earshot. Ringer stayed where he was.
"What is it?"
"Part of the plan involves Jimmy doing some smuggling. His price is your ring," Nova said, nodding to the jewel. The red ruby glimmered in the afternoon sun.
"No," Carter said.
"I don't think you understand. This is the only way you're getting out of here."
"And I don't think you understand," said Carter, red blotches flowering on his cheeks. "I said no."
Ringer looked between them but said nothing.
Nova heaved a heavy sigh. "Please, I need this to happen."
"Tell him you want a different price."
Nova glanced up at Jimmy. He stared straight back at her and smiled.
"I don't think he'd be willing to do that."
"Then you'll have to think of a different plan," Carter said.
Nova balled her frustration into the bottom of her chest and stormed away, marching into the cell block and up the stairs. She slammed her cell door shut and sat on her bed in a swirl of rage.
She reached into a hidden pocket sewn into the lining of her shirt and pulled out a smooth diamond ring. She needed to get it to the guard; Terry. Without that step, her whole plan was useless.
She lifted the ring and looked at the inside edge. A tiny switch set just below the diamond would release gas from a hidden canister inside the diamond. It was just a tiny squirt but it would be enough to knock a person out for a few hours. Just the window of time she needed. But she had to get it to Terry.
Nova grated her teeth, imagining slamming her fist into Carter's face. How could a ring be worth more than his freedom? More rage bubbled in her stomach. He had to see, there had to be a way to make him understand. Her hands balled into fists and she shoved the ring back into her pocket.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two months until guard change.
"Couldn't Carter just threaten him into it?" Nova asked Ringer the next morning.
"Jimmy doesn't work like that. Besides, he's made too many friends in here. Carter and Jimmy stay out of each other's way and everything runs smoothly. There'd be real trouble if they started standing on each other's toes."
"Why won't he just give up the ring? This is his freedom we're talking about."
"That ring's special to him," said Ringer. He scooped a mouthful of gruel from his bowl. "It used to belong to his father, and his before that. It's kind of the symbol of the family business."
"But that's ridiculous," Nova said. "It's just a sentimental token. Surely it's not worth his freedom?"
"Wow, you're cold," said Ringer. "To most people sentimentality is worth more than credits."
"But surely freedom counts for more than that?"
Ringer shrugged. "You'd be surprised. If I were you, I'd start asking Jimmy for a different price because Carter isn't going to budge."
Nova ground her teeth. Her freedom, her entire life, relied on two bull-headed men. Neither of which would be willing to budge. She fumed silently as she finished her gruel, rage-like acid curdling her stomach.
She glared at Ringer's hands. He had a few rings too. They weren't nearly as big or impressive as Carter's but they were nice enough. The observation set her mind working. Perhaps there was a way around her problem. She just had to make each man think they'd won. That was all they really wanted in the end anyway, an ego boost.
She nodded. She had the beginnings of a plan.
***
Wood sat alone in the courtyard, eating a bowl of gruel and staring into the distance. Nova plonked down into the chair opposite him and he jumped, spilling a glob of gruel onto the table.
"Dammit!" he said, flicking the droplet away.
"Good morning to you too," Nova said.
Wood scowled. "It's so early! What do you want?"
Nova grinned. "Need some help."
"What with?" The venom disappeared from Wood's voice and he raised an eyebrow.
"I need to find a ring with a red jewel in it."
"Easy. Your friend Carter's got one," Wood said, returning to his food.
Nova rolled her eyes. "I need a different one that looks just like that."
"Why?"
"I just do."
Wood grunted.
"So do you know of any?"
He sighed and met her gaze. "You know, I thought we were friends. You should tell me whatever it is you're planning. Have you decided to propose to someone here?"
"No," Nova said.
"So?"
"It's nothing," she replied. "Are you gonna help me or not?"
Wood's mouth turned down. "Sigma had one."
"Sigma? The crazy woman with the mods?"
"That's the one."
"Of course she does. Where can I find her?"
"In someone's sto
mach," Wood replied.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she died during the brawl that nearly saw you dead too."
"Dammit!"
"Keep your pants on," said Wood. He pushed his bowl away from him; apparently he'd lost his appetite. "Ten credits say all her stuff got taken by Gren."
"Who the hell is Gren?"
"Creepy little guy. I don't know why they let him stay here. He should be in the outer edges if you ask me."
"Why would he have Sigma's stuff?"
"Because he takes everything. You'll see what I mean when you visit him."
"So he's here somewhere?"
"Yeah. That building." Wood nodded his head towards the far cement structure. "Everyone will be able to tell you which is his room."
"You are wonderful," Nova said.
"I know," Wood said. "So how're you holding up?"
"A little sore," Nova replied. She stood and lifted the bottom of her shirt, revealing her wound. Her stitches stood up in ugly lumps. She did her best to keep the wound clean but that didn't stop blood leaking out and staining the surrounding flesh.
"Geez. They did a number on you didn't they?"
"Had worse," Nova said, dropping her shirt.
"Got your knife on you?"
"Yeah, why?" she said.
"Just keep it handy when you go and see Gren. He can be unpredictable."
"Got it," she said. "Thanks Wood."
"Anytime," he said with a smile.
Nova nodded and walked towards the cell block he'd pointed out.
***
Wood was right. The first prisoner she asked knew exactly which cell was Gren's. They pointed it out to her but refused to get anywhere near it.
Nova shrugged and went on by herself.
As she drew closer a heavy scent wafted down the corridor, filling the air, like rotting garbage and sweat mixed together with stale mould. It got worse as she got closer, clinging to her skin and clogging her nostrils.
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